Document 500OKRxkoQzmkom2yzy3wmEde

FILE NAME: Metropolitan Life (ML) DATE: 1935 DOC#: ML029 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: Met Life Correspondence RE Asbestos Dust & Asbestosis at Raybestos-Manhattan North Charleston Plant Bridgeport, vonn. Cept. 7, ISSf' Dr. G. it. ceber, Gen. U g r .. United 5 cubes A sbestos D iv is io n , lianheiu, ? a , liy n e a r r I t C U v i i I have -today beer re ed in g the re p o rt o f Dr. E . J . M cConnell, A ssistc-rt -richics! D ire c to r, In d u s t r ia l H e a lth 3~ctic-Li . icC ti :n o lita n L if e Insurance C o ., a copy o f - * h i c h was se n t you a fe v days a g o . The re p o rt is rn cn er u ta r t l i n g ,a n d - .very u n fa v q r u t ie , ana uay in oh: lo n g r u n , cause uo sor-- G s id err. b.le tro u b le*, Ai ah you v. quid d is c u s * t h is very thoroughly w ith your operating heads, ana ob tain ro c- c o s te n ta tio n s as to uaht can bo done. So fa r as the asbestos cu ?t is concerned, I t r i m v,i lave conquered i t r \ f*tV,i-'ii'j.o_ton a m in-- sane nethode cou ld be a p p lie d a t M anhsin, with. about on e-h alf the cost at Charleston, because i t is a ll l a i d ./at and v.u arc term ing out the -p r o c e s s , ano we co ,oiow t c nave ju s t about as s a t i s f a c t o r y a sy ste n th e re zz i t i s p o s s ib le to g e t a t t h i s t i n e . You are f m ilia r with, t h e 'r e s u lts obtained s t C h a rle sto n . I r .a l i s e i t is going to be expensive, but i t is a lso going to be co n sid era b ly cheaper, in the long ru n , to p ro te ct our employees in the proper ?.a y . Very truly yours, :?-g . ) \ v \V- r\ Zticreporr., Conn. October 13, 1335 Dr* K. J. McConnell, Ass't. Medical Director, Industrial Health Section, Metropolitan. Life Ins-Trance Co., Hew Icrk City, ,* ' * u * My dear Drr`;HcConH.:ll: '....".SUBJECT: Asbestos Dust at North Charleston Plant. you v:i'W, our plsnt at Sorth Charleston, as veil as the other'Divisions, have been working with your Company for a long tine, in the acquiring cf inforr-uticn, necical and other wise, regarding Asbu.-v.us Dust hssards and Ashe:; tosis. v '.lWe fcnva sad a number ef suitr, us you are aware, for vhich you have assisted us z z prepare, and at the last trial, your Hr, Pehnel tessifitc. H z nave ccpendeS on your Company to present certain informs .'.ion that our attorney, Hr. Julian Mitchell, of Charleston, S. C., Cesir&d, _r.d *;e were 2 t e standstill to know what to do sr.d carry or; with these suits, for I again say we had depended, a your Company'3 assistance. Naturally, we were very much upset last cTck when Hr. Jeffords rvpcrtcc that we could not expect any court assistance from your department, due to orders you-had received fro.s. yaur superiors. I S' `v U- ) \ w / J We immediately wanted to have you tolit over the situation with Mr. Mitchell, to sec r.hst ho could ac, and when they got in touch with so und sued v.hct I thought of subpoena ing Mi*. Fehnel, I told them frankly that it looked to me as if that was the only thing ocu*.u so, if v.a v.crs- going to have the help ox' Mr. Pehnei lu these particularly important cases. It may looK occ to you that this subpoena vc3 served, but really there was nothing else for us to do, unci I could not see -`Tiy other way out under the circunstances, after Ur. Mitchell hud pointed out what it was going to mean to him to have Mr. Pehnel there. I do hope you will take this into consideration and that the assist ance i* Mr. Pehnei will be g i v e n us very cheerfully. I can recognise the position of the insurance com pany in testifying in ordinary cases of this kind, but as I see it, these particular cases ol' ours at Charleston really come into a different category. ^ We carried Comoensotien and Health Insurance with your Company when these suits wore first brought up at Charles ton, and of course, under the policies, we were not covered ago Inst damage suits for Asb&stosis. 004 03 O' AA] liv^Vv.A  i c -uX * 2. 10/ 19/35 The Metropolitan Insurance Co., nor no other insurance company in the United States, had any data that win worth very nuch on Asbestos Dust or Asbertosis, ar.d naturally your Company r.-antec health statistics and infonnetion n^nrcing Asbestos" lust on tr.o lungs. Our Company v/as more then willing to coooerote with j1 e .Iso induced Johns-iianvillo to Company started irith a Dust Survey of :* 'Derate nc your >: the l--t bos too plants. Y.h.en your appropriation for tnio ran v.;a, you re ust- ed thst it be enrriao. on ur.t'l. a new rppropriatian wouiu*oe s>-..cured by your Company, and ve did sc. Later on, ve hired a nan, Mr. Binder to vor-e under your control, but at the expense of Johns-Manviile and ourr elves. This ell led us to believe that under the conditions, we would havr. your resistance in trying these unfair suits, which would eventually ba a benefit to you, and also have considerable bearing on the Dust racket, about which so much has been published lately. I feel as if your Company has not tsken into consideration all these various factors when turning aown our request for Mr. Pennells pres ence r.t the trials in CnarAwr-t-on iir. Forme! being the only man who hus been following tne lietr.iin of the Asbestos Dust through all its various ramifications* trituriliv, if w c o u l d have i'oi-^S'-.vr the attitude the Metropolitan Insure,r.ce Co.'s MeoicaX Department would take at this late datf/vie would,have hired n tpeuialitt and he would have had all the .'....to v.nich your Corp.vr.y now has, a2-O ..s you Know, we have spent lrrge sums to fobs the Ch;.'rues ton Pien t an iueai one, with your assistance. I do r.ot btlic-vs that by Air. jpfhnt-i tesitiying at Char leston, it will suinblish r. precedent, at it. is hardly li/.ely you will bave this type of caae ccne up a^nin for s.*ny year.:, and I am also certain it is very questionable if you will gee ohe same amount of nssistanca fior, any twe companies that you have been get ting from Johr.s-i-r.r.viHe r.r.c ourselves, and moreover, it was our Intention to draw in otrur asbestos companies in this survey as soon or the tine tf..a rirfnt to fcrinp thorn in, ane this would nan a tromur.crr.'.i; nr.ourt of inform ativr. r. asbestos lust ;.nd Asbw.stosi in the possession of the Me Vropal it.un Insurance Co., .no would be the only ones in the United States, :~:o far ms we uno, having this in form;.'tier. I have been trying to got in touch with my friend, Hr. James l. Slavana^h, Vice Preoioent of the Met*.opoiit^n Insurance Co., to endeavor to have hin make nn appointment with Mr. Baker, your President, so I can y> over this natter with him very care fully end thoroughlyr.r.u 1 hope to be able to (.0 so next Tuesday. Ur.fortnnr.t ;,ly, I slir.ll be nray the letter part of this week. Very truly yours, up i -dn * President 0040! ' . ' * ' M u m o r o L i T A N Lin: In s u r a n c e C o m j *a k v FREDERICK II.ECKCK. Pm.Mii!.XT c N e w Yo r k City WILLIAM J.McCONNELL-M-D. iA k h I* <A ic tfirm f rV i r r f l r October 23 , 1935 Ur. S. Simpson, President, RE7 fceEtos-i.i2.nhL.ttEn, Inc. Bridgeport, Conn. Dear Rr. Sinpsoa: This will Ecfcmrledge your letter of October 19. I shall be very pleased to see you Tuesday when you Ere in Rew Tori:. I assure you that axrengeffients had been made to essist your coapeny in the present litigation.Very truly yours, 9 m *u - J. KcConnell, il.D. Assistant Siedicel Director Director. Industrial Health Section l OV n (.i-.r r lai' O>>r> i'i# ttTii -h , Y icv Pic5.> i,V l 4 * *X ] V C ity . rV* CU-.ar J-tvi r...:';; >\.n Xt L very pleas- fttw VX-Xi* i..C ,>UJ O w x u u W bUWt* X 'p^/l'CC^vv.C V VC ^ iiuC/ X. la.is.rv.;::.*; t tj. i::$ur- (uiCu c L UtU Vi'ti'j.jVl:> i-'lV f t'><>` i t Uj* -.r . pillili Lw*-ji ti *-> r soon he rt.~~rnr- i".'o?, l tr ip ha i ? Ji0v< uiicir i/.ic} '.i i . probably be th 1`i r s t o m.^:r. wecl. t.ith fcfest wishes, Very truly yours, SS-G. President 5 A f\ , <K n ./i.i/> '.O' /l /*; f-c